Issue 16.12
As of this writing, it’s a fact that almost 60% of Americans don’t have a basic will, and that’s a big problem.
One of the big reasons that most families don’t yet have this kind of plan in place is because of some incorrect thinking about whether it’s right for them, or if it’s even necessary. And sure –some people just haven’t gotten around to creating a will or trust. Others think they don’t need an estate plan because they’re not “rich”.
But here’s the problem–if you continue without an estate plan, you could leave a legacy of bad feelings and attorneys’ fees.
So I wanted to speak to some of the more common misconceptions out there. I’ll start with a couple big ones this week, and when the time is right, address a few more in the coming months…
MYTH #1: Only rich people prepare estate plans.
Do you own ANYTHING? Because if so, you need a will. You see, a will allows you to designate who will receive your property should anything happen. Continuing without one ensures that your assets will be distributed under the terms of your state’s “intestate succession” laws. That means your money and property could end up with family members you haven’t spoken to in years, instead of who you’d really like to see control your assets.
I won’t go into all of the different components of a will, trust, health care directive etc., as my purpose here is to emphasize that failing to plan is simply a decision to trust your assets to government bureaucrats who don’t know you from Adam.
Even if you think your situation is pretty straightforward, you may feel more comfortable hiring a lawyer to guide you through the process.
MYTH #2: Everything goes to your spouse, if something happens.
Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. We deal with clients from different states around the country, and state laws vary. In fact, in most states, if you continue without a will (intestate), your inheritance will be divided among your spouse and your children. In New York, for example, when someone dies intestate, the spouse gets the first $50,000 of the estate and what’s left is divided 50-50 among the spouse and the children.
You can imagine how this could create all kinds of problems, particularly if your spouse was financially dependent on you or you have children from a previous marriage.
I’ll comment on this more in the future, but I hope you can already see that things are not always as we “think”. And let’s take advantage of tax season and move towards getting this done (or updated) in 2012!
I hope this helps. To your family’s financial and emotional peace…
David D. Polatis, CEP is a Certified Estate Planner at Senior Advantage 435-986-9222.